[citation needed] In 915 AD, the Arab historian Al-Masudi mentions it as at-Tákin, referring to the hills of the Punjab region.

The name is read Tákin (طاقين) by Sir Henry Elliott, and Táfan (طافن) by Gildemeister, in his extracts from Masudi.

The account of Sulaimān the merchant calls its king malik at-taqa and further notes that he was in good terms with the Arabs and the Rashtrakuta Empire of Deccan.

[2] Despite having an illustrious Buddhist heritage as evident from three colossal stupas, Buddhism had declined in the region (Punjab) after the Gupta period due to preference give to the propagation of Hinduism,[15][16] and later collapsed[17] after the Alchon Hun persecution,[18] resulting in it being sparsely practiced in only about ten monasteries.

On the contrary, Brahminical Hinduism rose as the primary religion in the region and there were several hundreds of Hindu Deva shrines.